Team Stats

Shots

Ground Balls

Saves

Clears

Turnovers

Draw Controls

Free Position Shots

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Mar. 5, 2014) – Senior Kelsey Bub (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. / Walter Panas (Iona College) scored three of her four goals in the second half as the Mercy College women's lacrosse team made a furious comeback that came up just short against the Warriors of East Stroudsburg University, 10-9.

Mercy falls to 1-2 overall, while the Warriors improve to 3-0. The game was originally scheduled on the road at ESU, but was moved to Dobbs Ferry due to unplayable field conditions at ESU.

The mini road trip did not seem to faze the Warriors as they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with 18:17 left in the first half. Bub answered by scoring on the free position shot to cut the Warriors lead to 2-1. ESU was able to cause a turnover and convert on a goal for a 3-1 lead just two minutes later.

After Bub caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball, she streaked down the field and hit junior Keri Watson (Massapequa Park, N.Y. / Massapequa), who fired it to fellow junior Marissa Kluber (Wading River, N.Y. / Shoreham-Wading River), who scored in the circle cutting the lead to 3-2 with 12:46 left.

ESU caused havoc on the Mavericks' transition game as the Warriors jumped the passing lanes multiple times, leading to two more goals and a 5-2 lead at halftime.

After the Mavericks received a penalty as time expired in the first half, Mercy was forced to play man-down for the first two minutes of the second half. The Warriors capitalized on the advantage, scoring 49 seconds in for a 6-2 lead. Following the next draw control, senior Paige Siegler (Bellmore, N.Y. / John F. Kennedy) caused a turnover in the ESU offensive zone, which helped the Mavericks get the ball upfield and hit Bub for the score, cutting the lead to 6-3. The Warriors would respond quickly, scoring two unanswered goals for an 8-3 lead with 23:09 left.

Head Coach Dawn Anselmin switched Bub onto the draw control at that point and the move immediately paid off as Bub scored two goals in the circle directly off draw controls, cutting the five-goal deficit to just three at 8-5 with 21:50 left in the game. Bub's play seemed to wake up the rest of the Mavericks.

Junior Nicole Kline (Deer Park, N.Y. / Deer Park) caused a turnover on the defensive end and raced up the field to hit Watson, who flipped the ball to senior Tracey Wandle (Rocky Point, N.Y. / Rocky Point) for the score, making it a two-goal game at 8-6 at the 16:59 mark. The Mavericks had a chance to cut the ESU lead to just one on a free position shot by sophomore Nicole Augustine (Kingston, N.Y. / Kingston), but the shot went wide right of the cage.

ESU used the missed opportunity to its advantage, scoring on a free position shot to increase the lead to 9-6. Coach Anselmin and Assistant Coach Jillian Maricondo stayed on top of the team, stressing to not let this one slip out of reach. Junior Michelle Tiernan (Farmingdale, N.Y. / Farmingdale) responded by scoring two unanswered goals in a one-minute span for a 9-8 Warriors lead.

Mercy looked to tie the game up at nine as Wandle had two shots on the cage, but one went wide and the other was stopped by ESU goalkeeper Jessica Maxwell off a free position opportunity. Maxwell made other saves on free position shots taken by Tiernan with just under two minutes to go. ESU attempted to put the game out of reach, scoring on an empty net to go up 10-8 with just under a minute to go.

Mercy looked to pull this game out of the fire as graduate student Callie Schwichtenberg (San Diego, Calif. / Granite Hills) won a draw control, which led to Wandle earning a free position shot with just eight seconds on the clock. Wandle converted to cut the deficit back to one, but on the ensuring draw control, the Warriors picked up the ball and ran out the clock for the victory.

For Mercy, Bub finished with four goals and added two caused turnovers, while Wandle finished with three points on two goals, and an assist. Watson finished with two assists, while Kluber and Augustine both finished with a point. On defense, Schwichtenberg finished with five caused turnovers and four ground balls, while Kline finished with two ground balls and two caused turnovers and won three draw controls. Senior Elizabeth Rjedkin (Howell, N.J. / Colts Neck) came off the bench to add three ground balls and a caused turnover.

Coach Anselmin officially takes the Mavericks on the road for the first time in 2014, as they will travel to Bloomsburg, Pa. on Saturday Feb. 8 to take on the Huskies of Bloomsburg University at 1:00 p.m.